Mining machine



M. P. HOLMES MINING MACHINE Filed April 2,

Nov. 4 1924.

I l I I Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

MORRIS P. HOLMES, `OFClnltIlEt-EIVIONT, NEVI HAMPSHRE, ASSIGNOR TOSULLVAN MA- CHINERY COWIPANY, A CORPDPLTIGH 0F lvSSi-.CHUSETTS TJININGBIAGI-EINE.

Application filed april 2,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, Mouais l?. Homme, acitizen of the United States, residing at Claremont, in the county ofSullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mining` Machines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to mining machines.

It has for its object to provide improved means whereby a mining machinemay be adjusted with improved facility relative to the mine floor. Moreparticularly, my invention has for its object to provide an improvedmeans whereby a machine may be elevated orl angularly adjusted withincreased facility, the same preferably being power driven and hereinoperatively connected to the motor of the machine. These and otherobjects and advantages of my improved construction will', however,hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings l have shown for purposes of illustrationone embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

ln these drawings, K

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a shortwall machineequipped with myl improvement.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the same. c

Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticl plan view showing the different positions ofadjustment in a horizontal` plane.

Fig. t is a diagrammatic side view showing different positions ofadjustment of the machine in a verticaly plane.

lIn" this illustrative construction, l have shown a mining machine whichmay be of any usual type or construction, preferably including a frame land a motor 2 operatively connected7 throughy connections not shown, toa cutter chain 3 carried on a cutter bar 4, the machine shown hereinbeing movable relative to the face on its own bottom, herein on a shoe 5slidable over the mine bottom under the action of a flexible feedingmember 6 operatively connected tol a feed operating member 7 likewisedriven from the motor 2 in a well known manner.

ln my improved construction, it will be 1919. Serial no. 287,024.

observed that the shoe 5 is provided with an aperture 8 therein, vhereinat a point substantially under the center of gravity of the machine. lnthis aperture 8 is movable a vertically adjustable lifting plunger orpivot member 9 which may obviously be actuated in various ways. Herein,it will be noted that this member is power operated, the same beingprovided with a piston 10y on its upper end movable in a cylinder 11formed in the frame 1. .as shown, the upper end of the cylinder 11communicates with a pressure supply, through a passagel l2' controlledby a manually rotatable valve 13 provided with a right angled passage 14and controllable by a controlling lever 15 o n thetop of the machine.Herein this supply assumes the `form of an oil pump comprising aplurality of intermeshing rotors, herein gears 16 and 17 having chambers18 and 19 on opposite sides thereof normally communicating with thepassage 12 through passages 2G and y21 controlled by the valve 13. 0fthese rotors, the member 16 is rotatable on a stud 2Q having its loweren'd screwed into a removable section 23 of the shoe 5 and its upper endseated in the frame 1,` and clamped between the frame and the shoe bythe removable section 23 when the latter is itself clamped in positionby means of screws 2li. The cooperating rotor 17 is` also similarlyclamped in position, but herein it will be noted that this gear isspli'ned at 25 to the lower end of a rotating shaft 26 driven throughsuitable gearing 2li', 28' from the motor. Herein', it will also be'observed that one of the chambers 18 and 19 is provided with a passage29 leading to an axial opening 30 in the shaft 26, so that a new supplyof fluid, herein oil, may be supplied to the pump at any desired time'from the top of the machine,y the aperture being normally closed, as bya removable' plug 31, and a removable cover 82. p

1n the operation of my improved construction, it will be understood thatthe member 9 normally occupies its up or inf operative position whereinit lies flush with the bottom of thefshoe 5. As a result, the machineobviously be moved over the bottom bodily with the same facility as anypresent mining machine. However, 'when it is desired to move the machineangularly, it will be observed that it is unnecessary to lOl) bar thesame around laboriously. Instead, the pump controlling member 15 and itsconnected valve 13 is operated. As avresult, communication is openbetween the passage 12 and one of the passages 20, 21 thereby enablingthe gears 16 and 17 constantly rotated by the motor 2, tosupply fluidunder pressure through the passage 12 to the upper end of the cylinder11 to depress the member 9 from the full to the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 1, wherein it may be held' by simply turning the valve 13in such a manner as to seal the o-il in the cylinder. Since this member9 is disposed substantially beneath the center of gravity of themachine, the machine will, as a result, be raised bodily relative to thebottom in such manner that by a relatively small lateral push or pullapplied at either end of the machine, i. e., at its rear end o-r at thefront end of its bar, the entire machine may be moved about the member 9as a pivot and into the desired angle. When this position is reached,obviously the member 9 may be again rendered inoperative by simplyreversing the position of the member l5 to again connect the valve 13 toone of the chambers 18, 19 and thereby permit the oil to be forced outof the cylinder 11 as the member 9, due to the' weight of the machine,resumes its normal in position wherein its lower surface lies in theplane of the bottom of the shoe, and again operating the valve so thatthe fluid pumped flows in its normal circuit, i. e.,'from one of thechambers 18, 19 through one of the passages 20, 21, the valve passage14, the other passage 20,21 into the other chamber 18, 19 and around therear of the rotor 17 back to its starting point. It will also beobserved that in the operation o-f my improved construction, throughvarying the amount of movement of the valve 13, the amount of movementof the member 9 may be varied as desired. It will also be noted that, asshown in Fig. 4, the machine may also be tilted in a verticle plane insuch a manner as to vary the angle of its bar with respect to thehorizontal, by raising it on the member 9, blocking up or placing a skidunder the rear or front end of the frame, and then releasing the member9, the variations pos*- sible above by varying the amount of opening ofthe valve 13 also being obtainable here to vary the lifting movement asnecessary.

As a` result of my improved construction, it willA be observed that itis entirely unnecessary to bar the machine around lmanually andlaboriously in order to vary-its angle or to present the bar indifferent directions,

vthe entire effort required being the simple movement of' thecontrolling member 15, whereupon the power of the machine is utilized toraise the machine and thus'enable it to be swung readily in a horizontalplane into the desired angular position or tilted to the desiredposition. It will also be observed that my improved mechanism foraccomplishing these new results is 'of an eXT ceedingly simple andrugged character adapt to be supplied and kept in ruiming order at smallexpense and during the normal operation of the machine to interfere inno way with the movement of the same over the mine bottom. These andother advantages of my improved construction will,however, be clearlyapparent to those skilled in the art.

While .l have in this application specifically described one vembodimentwhichmy invention may assume in practice, -it is to be understood thatthe same is shown herein for purposes of illustration only and that theinvention may be modified and embodied in various other forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or the scope'of the appended claims.

lVhat l claim as new an desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. rlhe combination with` a mining machine having a bottom on which itisslidable, of a supporting plunger therefor telescopically mounted in thebottom thereof whereby the same may occupy a position in whichnosubstantial portion of the weight of the machine is transmitted to thebottom thereby and also so engagablewith the mine bottom as to transmitto thelatter a substantial portion of the weight of the entire machine.

2. The combination with a mining ma` chine having a bottom on which itis slidable, of a supporting pivot therefor telescopically mounted inthe bottom thereof and engageable with the mine bottom.

3. rlhe combination with amining ma-` chine having a bottom on which itis slidable, of elevating means engageable with the mine bottom mountedin the bottom thereof adjacent the center of gravity of said machine.

4. The combination with a mining machine having a bottom on which it isslidable, of a plunger normally flush with the bottom thereof whereby itacts to transmit to the bottom no substantial portion of the weight v115of the machine but depressible therethrough into such forcibleengagement with the mine bottom as to elevate the center of gravity ofthe machine.

vroo

5. The combination with a mining mal supporting member movable throughsaid machine bottom and engaging the mine bottom.

7. The combination with mining machine, of a supporting shoe thereforhaving an aperture therein on the longitudinal center line of said shoe,and a machine supporting plunger normally closing said aperture andvertically adjustable therein.

8. The combination with a mining machine, of a supporting shoe thereforhaving an aperture therein on the longitudinal center line of said shoeand adjacent the center of gravity of said machine, and a machinesupporting plunger normally closing said aperture and verticallyadjustable therein.

9. The combination with a mining machine, oit a supporting shoe beneaththe saine having an aperture therein, a machine supporting plungerdisposed in said aperture and normally forming a part of said shoe, andmeans actuated by said machine for moving said plunger in said aperture.

l0. The combination with a mining machine, of a supporting shoe beneaththe same having an aperture therein, a machine supporting plungerdisposed in said aperture and normally forming a part of said shoe, andmeans including a pump for moving said plunger in said aperture.

1l. The combination With a mining machine, o a supporting shoe beneaththe same having an aperture therein, a machine supporting plungerdisposed in said aperture and normally forming a part of said shoe, andmeans for moving said plunger in said aperture including a piston andcylinder and a cooperating controlling valve.

12. The combination with a mining machine, of a supporting shoe beneaththe same having an aperture therein, a machine supporting plungerdisposed in said aperture and normally closing the same, and means formoving said plunger in said aperture including a pump driven by saidmachine,

a cylinder, a plunger actuating piston therein, and a manuallycontrolled valve controlling the supply of fluid from said pump to saidcylinder.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MORRIS P. HOLMES.

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